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In Grand Junction, scrutiny intensifies on Resource Center to address rising crime, other issues
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In Grand Junction, scrutiny intensifies on Resource Center to address rising crime, other issues

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Once celebrated as one of the top 10 main streets in the U.S., Grand Junction’s downtown now faces turmoil. Business owners, frustrated with the nearby Resource Center, are cleaning up feces and needles and dealing with fires and property damage. Many are calling for the center to be relocated. The Resource Center opened on Dec. 11, 2023, providing food, shelter, hygiene and navigation services for the homeless. By October 2024, however, downtown business owners reported rising concerns about harassment, danger, property damage and filth. At the Nov. 20 meeting of City Council, business owners shared their frustrations.  “We've put in a new, almost $20,000 camera system since this Resource Center came in," business own...
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Daniel: Let local communities lead on public lands
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Daniel: Let local communities lead on public lands

By Bobbie Daniel | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Public lands are woven into the fabric of Colorado’s identity, serving as living symbols of our shared heritage, natural beauty and deep connection to the land. Nowhere is this more evident than in Western Colorado, where public lands foster a profound respect for nature and a commitment to stewardship. To ensure these lands thrive for future generations, we must adopt outcome-based policies prioritizing access, sustainability and thoughtful management — balancing conservation with economic vitality. Unfortunately, this balance is increasingly threatened by political instability and federal overreach. Mesa County, where 73% of the land is federally managed, provides a telling example of the challenges at hand. Federal burea...
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Food Bank of the Rockies facing challenge of meeting highest food insecurity level in a decade
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Food Bank of the Rockies facing challenge of meeting highest food insecurity level in a decade

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice "On the Western Slope, one in eight people — our neighbors — are food insecure. For children, it’s even worse: one in seven kids is unsure where their next meal will come from," shares Sue Ellen Rodwick, director of the Western Slope Food Bank of the Rockies. "Statewide, the numbers are slightly better, but still troubling. One in nine Coloradans face food insecurity." The Food Bank of the Rockies (FBOTR) is spearheading the response to this growing crisis. It serves 417,317 people a year. The U.S. Census puts the state's population at 5,877,610. This is the largest food bank area in the contiguous U.S., covering Colorado and Wyoming. It serves a region of more than 150,000 square miles. It has three distribution centers ...
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Sloan: Could Doug Burgum and Chris Wright lead an American energy revival?
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Sloan: Could Doug Burgum and Chris Wright lead an American energy revival?

By Kelly Sloan | Contributing Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice There is much consternation in different corners about President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks; indeed, some of it is not entirely unwarranted. Much of it, on the other hand, is on the order of polemical hysteria, an outcropping of the left’s general caterwauling about how America under a second Trump presidency will take on the appearance of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. The Senate may have its work cut out in sorting through the noise generated around some of the appointments, but two that ought to give them no pause in the least are the President-elect’s picks for Interior and Energy: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright respectively.  It will prove exceedingly difficult to...
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The irony of Colorado obtaining gray wolves from British Columbia
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The irony of Colorado obtaining gray wolves from British Columbia

By Lindy Browning, Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice While Colorado wildlife managers have been trying to figure out where to get the next crop of 10 to 15 wolves to import into Colorado, British Columbia, Canada, has been trying to cull their population of wolves because of the predation of caribou that led to the endangerment of the herds. After the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington rescinded their offer to send gray wolves to Colorado in late 2024, state wildlife officials were left scrambling to figure out where to procure the voter-mandated wolves for the repopulation efforts in Colorado. As a result of the Colville Tribe withdrawal, Colorado has, ironically, reached out to secure a deal with British Columbia to take some of their unwanted ...
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Recount ordered in Colorado House District 16, expected soon in District 19
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Recount ordered in Colorado House District 16, expected soon in District 19

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The first of two election recounts critical to Republicans eliminating the Democratic supermajority in the Colorado House has been ordered by Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office. After the tabulation of 41,276 votes in El Paso County's state House District 16 race, Republican Rebecca Keltie was six votes ahead of Democrat Stephanie Vigil, by a margin of 2 one-hundredths of 1 percent of the vote, or 0.02%. State law requires a recount of an election with a margin of victory between two candidates of half of 1 percent or less, or a 0.5% margin. "Pursuant to Colorado law, the percentage of vote totals between the candidates requires the secretary of state to order a recount," the order from Griswold's office reads. The process calls for a ...
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Canada, Mexico to face 25% tariffs, China 10% until borders are secure, drug importation stops, Trump says
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Canada, Mexico to face 25% tariffs, China 10% until borders are secure, drug importation stops, Trump says

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice President-elect Donald Trump has put Canada and Mexico on notice -- close their borders with the United States or face the penalty of tariffs on all imports into the United States. Crime and drugs "at levels never seen before" are pouring through porous borders to the north and south of the United States, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday. As one of his "many first Executive Orders," Trump pledged to charge Canada and Mexico 25% tariffs. "This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!," Trump wrote. "Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem." Until they do, Trump wrote, "it is...
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Schumann: Colorado Springs has ‘a hometown Jussie Smollett situation’. A look at a mayor’s alleged deception
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Schumann: Colorado Springs has ‘a hometown Jussie Smollett situation’. A look at a mayor’s alleged deception

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Springs is dealing with “a hometown Jussie Smollett situation.”  That's how Todd Watkins, vice chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, described the hate crime hoax involving Mayor Yemi Mobolade. Watkins, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection official and U.S. Army analyst, says political violence in El Paso County has risen during the last nine years. His remarks highlight the seriousness of the allegations of an alleged hate crime that may have impacted the outcome of a municipal election. Three individuals have been indicted for their roles in the hoax. But the DOJ has reportedly declined to charge Mobolade despite evidence of false statements. The FBI found that Mobolade allegedly denied contact wi...
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Kalam: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s insurrection rhetoric
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Kalam: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s insurrection rhetoric

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the wake of the recent electoral landslide — a decisive repudiation of unchecked illegal immigration and the catastrophic security failures at America’s borders — one might have expected local leaders to reconsider their stances on sanctuary city policies. Yet, in Denver, Mayor Mike Johnston has chosen defiance over reason, doubling down on policies that disregard the will of his constituents and the authority of the federal government. His response to President-elect Trump’s nomination of Tom Homan as "border czar" is nothing short of insurrectionary. Mayor Johnston took to social media to unveil a bold, but deeply troubling plan to block any federal efforts to deport illegal immigrants in Denver. He went so far as to cla...
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Devotional: Wisdom and understanding are essential to living a life of celebration
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Devotional: Wisdom and understanding are essential to living a life of celebration

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Do you have the capacity to truly enjoy life? Not just parts of it, but all of it — every role and responsibility: personally, in partnership, parenting, professionally, and even planetarily (globally). Can you find joy regardless of the circumstances, situations, or people involved? The truth is, few ever tap into this full capacity for living, and fewer still know how to achieve it. But here’s the good news: there is a way (John 14:6). A reality. A lifestyle that makes this kind of celebratory living possible for anyone willing to discover its secrets. And it starts with one powerful step: Just believe — celebration! Consider a significant event like the recent U.S. Primary Election. For many, there’s celebration when their side...
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